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By Courtney M. Goodin .

Copyright El982 Datasoft Inc. Al l Rights Reserved

Published 6, Dis~rihutcd Exclusively By

19519 Business Center Drive Nor~hridge, CA 91324

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Datasoft is offering a un ique oppor tuni ty to software ' I authors. Send us your p rogram o r p r o g r a m concept for eval- uation. I f i t is accepted for publication w e will en te r into a marketing agreement to sell your p r o d u c t through o u r Domestic and International distribution channels. . I

. And t h e opportunity d o e s not e n d there . W e offer you something few o the r publishers can. We call it "Product Roll-Over". We have t h e capability to t a k e a program and transfer i t to o the r popular microcompute'rs (Atari, Apple, TRS-80 and NEC). W e c a n even plan distribution on machines still in development that w e feel will be a large part of tomorrow's market.

Datasoft works with several large mic rocompute r manu- tact u r e ~ o n new and exciting projects. Mre a re involved with many "famous-name" companies en te r ing our industry for t h e first time.

So get the most exposure for your programming efforts. \"rrite us for a free programmer 's package a n d get a start on a re i t~arding future. It's waiting for you today.

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TABLE Ut L U N I L N I ~

. . . . . . .- ...... ..-._ _ . . . . . . . . NTRODUCTION ............................................ \- , . .

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS ............................. 2 . . .

................................. START UP AND STRUCTURE 2 . . . a > . . . . . . . ... . . . -: ., ..] i ' ??. ;*.. ..... ., ...- !A;.. t .: .../j.<&.. $ . . . $' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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EDIT MODE. ............................................. 2 ................................................. Offset 8

........................................... Edit Window 8 .................................................... Grab 1 0

.................................................. Joystick 1 0 ................... F I ~ D Screen ......................... 1 0

................................................. - . . .er 11 . . . . . . . ......................................... Erase Window 11

............................................. Transparent 11 ............................................... Opaque 11 .............................................. Underlay 7 1

.................................................. Rotate 12

............................................... Zoom 13, 1 4

................................................ Mirror - 15 ................................................ I Inverse 15

.............................................. i Arrow Keys 1 5 . I Skew .................................................. 16

............................................... Shift Screen $ 1 7 ............................. .. Overlay Screens ; ..:....... '. . . 1 7

................................. ........ Print Screens . . . 2 1 17 ................................................ Tab Print . 1 8 ..

.................................. INPUT/OUTPUT MODE 3 Load. Save. Directory

............................................ T E A ~ I O D E 3 .12 ......................................... Alternate Fonts 12

........................................ DRAW MODE .5. 13 ................................................... Line 6 .................................................. Circle 6

............................................... Polygon 6

........................................... Tips and Secrets 18

........................................ Picture Conversion 20

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. . INTRODUCTION . d

GRAPHIC MASTER i s the first program of its kind to bring professional quality Computer Aided Design features to your ATARIB 800 Home Computer. A step ahead of other graphics generating programs, GRAPHIC MASTER provides TWO inde- pendently functional H lGH RESOLUTION screens (320 x 192 pixels each). You can load pictures or symbols to either screen without d~sturbing the contents of the other. Then, using other GRAPHIC MASTER features, you can move images from one screen to the other, draw new' images, or even label your designs with various sized text.

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f Y - , . -, Some possible uses for GRAPHIC MASTER are:

Electronic Circuit Layout Logic Design Architectural Design .

Floor Plan Layout Business Charts and Graphs Chemical Design Landscape Planning Computer Art

GRAPHIC MASTER offers many special features normally .

found only in large, more expensive, computer graphics systems. I t uses a variable sized window to grab, manipulate and move both pictures and designs from screen to screen in much the same manner as a production artist does "Cut & Paste". GRAPHIC MASTER provides more than 30 single and multiple key commands that allow the user to alter the

ents o i the window or screen p~cture. Commands to ATE, INVERT, SKEW, zoO,v , MIRROR. SHIFT, UNDER-

LAY and OVERLAY make GRAPHIC MASTER the most versa- t i le graphics program currently available for the Atari computer.

Included with your GRAPHIC MASTER program are screens of Electronic and Chemical symbols that can be combined to create circuit designs and experiment diagrams. A Palette of various color patterns is also provided for painting your own pictures and designs. With GRAPHIC MASTER you can SAVE your creations on disk or PRINT out a hardcopy on a n Epsone MX-70 or MX-80 with Graphtrax" ROMS installed.

!. - - . &. ...; ..,S~STEM REQUIREMENTS: ATARlS 800, 40K RAb BASIC

!!\ , . language cartridge, 7 disk drive (minimum) and l.;'ystick. *, ~ ~ t i o n a l ' s ~ s t e r n wil l also include an ATARl interface module

and either an Epsono MX-70 or MX-80 with the Graphtraxm R O M option.

NOTE: A spe&/ version o f c RAPHIC MASTER i s included fir owners o f the NEC@ 8023-4 printer. See page 77 for instruc- tions on configuring your 'diskette.

f ';A.'ASTART UP AND STRUCTURE

To use GRAPHIC MASTER, place the program.diskette in drive $1. Install the BASIC language cartridge and turn ON the computer. Connect your ,joystick to controller jack #l. The program will load automatically and begin operation by filling the screen with the GRAPHIC MASTER title frame. A small square made up of white dots called the EDlT window will appear in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. You are now in the GRAPHIC MASTER EDIT Mode. You can perform any of the command functions described on the following pages wfhile you are in the EDlT mode.

GRAPHIC MASTER has four modes of operation. They are the EDlT Mode, I10 Mode, TEXT Mode and DRAW Mode. Each mode has a set of specific functions. Commands to perform any function or operation are entered by pressing one key or a sequence of keys.

I . Thc EDlT Mode.

GRAPHIC MASTER always starts off in the EDlT mode: hlost graphic manipulations are performed in this mode. All other modes are accessed from the EDlT mode and wil l return you there upon exit.

A joystick i s used while in the EDlT mode to move an EDlT window around the screen. A dotted border surrounds the EDIT window to help identify i ts current size and location. Special .

key commands allow you to vary the size and movement of the window for positioning anywhere on the screen you desire.

Once "grabbed" b*, the EDlT window, an object or picture section can be mo,, 1 to another location on the screen or

., incorporated into another picture on [he second screen. Special function keys also allow you to manipulate the con- tents of the EDlT window in a variety of ways or to alter the screen background without affecting the window contents.

:', ' s ,i .' Using key functions individually and in combination will pro-

duce a wide variety of entertaining and useful results.

Command keys and their EDlT mode functions are explained in detail further on in this guide. Use the joystick now to move the edit window around the screen and become . . familiar with its appearance and movement. . '

2. INPUTIOUTPUT Mode.

Press the "OPTION" key while in the EDlT mode to enter the InputiOutput (110) mode This mode allows the user to LOAD the contents of a graphics file from disk to a desired screen, SAVE a screen to d~sk as a new graph~cs f ~ l e or examine a diskette DIRECTORY. This mode i s self-prompting Disk functions are selected by presslng the flrst letter of the deslred

QB operation and answering the subsequent screen prompts.

-- __.*-?- C". . .- - c.:-t - - A I ~ com&inds in the 110 mode assume you want to a&

V . . . r e - .- .. - . "%. ., , - - d;ive $1 Other drives may be addressed by first ente ! a DC

device d&ignator and a drive number (eg. DZ:). To AD ( SAVE a file simply enter thc filename after the prompt an press the "RETURK" key. I f vou have accidentallv pressed tt ivrong key and don't wish to LOAD or SAVE a fde, press tt "RETURN" key when asked for the filename. This will retu~ you to the EDIT mode After entering a iilename. the prograi wI I ask on which screen vot~ wrsh to SAL'E or LOAD an imag \Ifhen you enter the I,O mode. GRAPHIC MASTER will atway display screen n"1. Enter a 1 or 2 following the prompt "M'HIC SCREEN" (followed by a RETURN) to SAVE from or LOAD t your choice of screens.

r .-t The DIRECTORY command lets you examine the content

of a diskette (in drive =1 only). Filenames are displayed one lint at a time a t the bottom of your screen. Press~he "OPTION" ke] as prompted to step through the files. You will automaticallj return to the EDIT mode after the remaining free sectors arc displayed. You may also press the "START" key any time dur. ing the directory display to exit. Other key commands will no1 function ivhile in the I/O mode.

6 With the exception of SAVING files created bv other

graphics programs, this i s the only discussion of the ISPUT!OUTPUT Mode in this guide. If you wish to experiment

I I niith the above functions now, please do so. We recommended

i that you first view the directory and load one of the graphic

I files provided to screen #2. Press the "SELECT" key to switch between screen #1 and screen #2 and observe the results. Files SAVED with GRAPHIC h1ASTER must be deleted using your Atari DOS diskette.

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3. The TEXT ma

, The TEXT mode lets you place text and graphic characters , on the screen with your other images. Schematics can be

I documented, dimensions displayed and so forth.

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You may dlsplay the standard Atarh text and graphic font on your screen In your cho~ce of three sizes. You can also load

l and display your own custom font and alternate between i t

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! and the ATARl font at will.

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I ,,--. To enter the TEXT mode, press the "X" key while in the i t.., EDlT mode. The screen border will turn green (on a color

display) to indicate you have entered this new mode. Press the "ESC" key to exit and return to the EDlT mode. You must type your characters slowly to avoid skipping.

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Before you enter the TEXT mode you must first define the t size of the font you wish to use. Please refer to the section on

EDlT MODE KEY COMMANDS for a complete explanation of this mode. We recommend that you do not experiment with this mode until you are familiar with the remaining GRAPHIC MASTER functions.

4. The DRAW Mode.

Press the "D" key while you are in the EDlT mode to enter the DRAW mode. The screen border will turn ORANGE while you are in this mode. Press the "ESC" key to exit this mode and return to the EDlT mode.

The DRAW mode i s used to create your own detailed pictures and symbols. Use your joystick to move a tiny (one pixel) flashing dot. Press the joystick button to leave the dot on the screen. Hold the button down as you move the stick to draw lines. The amount of space between each dot may be changed at any time by pressing a number key from 1 to 9 (or 0 for 10) representing one to ten pixels between each dot.

- .. . .-- .. - . . -. . . . . .The tiny flashing dot may be diff icult t o locate on some .... . . . . . . . .--. . ... . -., , ' &&ns. TO find the dot, simply press the "SPACE" bar small

block momentarily appear. The tiny cursor can be tL;nd at the top edge of this locating block.

Three specific functions are available while in the DRAW .;*.;. mode in addition to free lino drawing using the joystick. These

functions can be used to draw geometric shapes for symbol screens (such as the chemical and electronic pictures files on your Graphic Master diskette). These built-in functions are LINE, CIRCLE and *POLYGON.

LINE ("L" key)

C. Use this function to draw a straight line between any two points. Position the tiny flashing dot (using your joystick) to a point on the screen where you wish to start your line. Press the . "L" key to plot that point on the screen. You wil l immediately hear a "chirping" sound from your T.V. Now, use your joystick to move the dot to a point on the screen where you wish to end your line. Press the "L" key again. A straight line is drawn between the two points you selected. A series of connected lines can be drawn in this mariner to produce various shapes.'

CIRCLE ("C" key)

This command lets you automatically draw a circle centered on the current position o f the tiny flashing cursor. To select a size, press a number key from 1 to 9 (or 0 for 10) before you press the "C" key. Size 1 produces the smallest circle. Size 0 (or ten) produces the largest available circle.

A solid white disk may be created by holding down the PTION" key and the "C" key at the same time.

POLYGON ("P" + "3"-"9" keys)

This command produces a multi-sided figure of your choice centered on the position o f the tiny flashing dot. The size of a polygon is selected before you pFess the "P" key (as in the circle command above). Do t offsets from one to ten (where 0 equals ten) produce different sized figures, (from small to large). Simply select the size of your intended polygon, 'press the "P" key, then press a number key from 3 to 9 to indicate

the number of s ~ d ~ s you w~sh. For example. pressing the keys "4" + " p" + " --. vhile in the DRAW mode wil l produce a number four sizea polygon with five sides (also known as a pen tagon).

NOTE: I f you do not indicate a specific size for your polygon, the current offset number wi l l be used as the default size. Again, please see the section on EDIT MODE KEY COMMANDS for a complete explanation of offset numbers.

'ARTIFACT COLORS:

I t - i s possible to draw pictures in color using the natural artifact-colors of your T.V. set or color monitor. First, .observe the color of the tiny flashing dot when you are in the DRAW mode. Colors are created by turning on pixels in a specific pattern. The horizontal position of a pixel determines what color will be displayed on the color screen. For example, every other pixel on a horizontal line wil l b e GREEN o r BLUE,while its neighbor on either side will be RED o r PURPLE,depending upon how your set i s adjusted. By combining these colored pixels in different patterns, new colors can be created.

For example, move the tiny dot unt i l it is flashing CREEN and draw a vertical GREEN line. NOW, using an offset number of 1, move the dot to the pixel immediately to the right of the green line (using the joystick) and draw a BLUE or PURPLE line next to it. The colors wil l seem to merge and form a light yellow line. Likewise, i f you first draw a BLUE or PURPLE line and draw a green line to the right of it, they will merge into a light blue line.

To create new colors, draw a horizontal or diagonal line using an "odd" offset numb.er. Then, using the EDIT wmdow, SHIFT, INVFRT and DUPLICATE the line until a new, distinct color appears. This method was used to create the 50 colors and patterns found in the "PALETTE" picture file, LOAD the palette file and practice "painting" on the screen. Later you may want to create your own palette file.

It's important to remember that the adjustment of ,your own color T.V. set determines the way artifact colors are displayed. Your colors may appear as BLUE and RED or CREEN and PURPLE, but combining them will produce

different colors. GRAPHIC MASTER was written to preserve , these colors when moving them in the window or o? ' ly ing

one colored area over another. I t is possible, however, to change the horizontal relationships of the colored pixels when using the ROTATE or SKEW commands (explained later in this guide). The best way to learn about color manipulation i s to experiment and judge the results for yourself.

EDIT MODE KEY COtMMAh'DS

The following EDlT MODE commands are used to manipulate and control the contents of the EDlT window without affecting the screen image. Please read this section

arefully and bear in mind that we cannot possibly explain all possible combinations. If you discover additionall features, Datasoft would enjoy hearing your comments.

\ OFFSET ("1"-"0" keys)

The number keys on your keyboard control the amount of horizontal and vertical distance between each window position as they move around the screen. The smallest incremental ofiset (1) is one byte (8 pixels) horizontally by two lines vertically. The maximum ofiset (0) i s 10 bytes (80 pixels) by 20 linesvertically. The window offset can be changed at any time. Exper~mentation will show you a number of ways that this feature can be used to your advantage. We have found that an oiiset of ,,I" often works best for positioning the window over an object, while a larger oifset number lets you move a window around the screen faster.

HINT: Setting the oiiset number equal to the window size \oil1 ' t \,ou to lay down a series o i images side by side.

WINDOW SIZE ("\VM+ "1"-"0" keys)

Ten window sizes may be selected while in the EDlT mode. Press the "W" key followed by a number key to determine the size of the EDlT ivindow. The smallest window size (I) measures 8 pixels wide by 8 lines high, while the largest window (0) is 80 pixels wide by 80 lines high. Sections of a picture "grabbed" by the EDlT window may be moved and manipulated using the EDIT mode commands. The window size can be changed at any time. However,the current window contents will be dropped and replaced by the border.

0

(CHEMICAL Symbols)

S fk C R Q IC 5bJ 1234567590

(ELECTRONIC Symbols)

i n o u t

1:3

G R A B ("C" key)

Pressathe "C" kev to "grab" a copy of screen image beneath the EDlT window. The dotted LYHITE border

frame will disappear when the "C" key i s pressed. A "window- sized" copy ot the screen image can now be moved around the screen usmg the iovstick. I t i s important to remember that in most cases an object must be "grabbed" before it can be manlpulatcd with other EDlT mode commands.

JOYSTICK BUTTON

When you press the jovstick button, a copy of the window image i s left behind a t that screen location. Be careful not to

Gpresr the button when the dotted WHITE window border i s on the screen or you will leave a copy of the window border in that position. 1

EDlT CI'INDOW

FLIP SCREENS ("F" key)

Press :he "F" key to move the EDlT n,indow (and its ontents) to the same position on the alternate screen. Ute the SELECT" ke). to sititch screens \VITHOUT moving the EDIT

n.indow. , f lake sure you are \.ie\ving the screen containing the EDlT window before you press the "F" key.

Use the GRAPHIC LlASTER title frame and EDlT mode commands ive have discussed and elperiment with what you have learned thus far. Select a "1Yindow Size" and "grab'' a section of the title f r~me. hlovc i t to the alternate screen (prcss "F" and leave the image behind by pressing the joyctick button).

BORDER ("0" key',

Press the "B" key to return the transparent, dotted white border to the EDlT w~ndow This replaces any image previously stored there. You can now return to the alternate screen and grab a d~fferent object or section of your picture.

ERASE WINDOW ("EM key)

Press the "E" key and the EDlT window wil l become black and opaque. The window can now be moved around the screen with the joystick. Whenever the joystick button i s pressed the screen area beneath the window wil l change to solid black. You may use the BORDER command above to exit this feature and restore the dotted white border t o the window.

If you wish to ERASE an entire screen, hold down the "CTRL" key and the "START" key at the same time then press the "E" key. The contents of the screen you are currently viewing wilt be erased. Your window image wil l remain intact. GRAPHIC MASTER purposely makes it difficult to destroy an entire screen to prevent accidental erasures.

TRANSPARENT ('IT" key)

This is a powerful command which makes the black areas within the EDlT window transparent. Images on the screen wi l l show through the black areas of the EDIT wmdow as you move it. This lets you draw, paint or OVERLAY one image over another. GRAPHIC MASTER automatically sets up a trans- parent window when the program is first used and when the w~ndow size is changed.

OPAQUE ("0" key)

When this feature is selected, the black areas of the EDlT window will become opaque and block out any image on the screen area beneath it. Use the transparent command to esit this feature. Again, experimentation i s your best instructor.

UNDERLAY ("U" key)

This very powerful command lets you place the contents of the EDIT window under or beneath a screen image. The UNDERLAY command can also be used in conjunction with

;ne Ih\ t X T screen con i rn~nd to n i a k and paint a black or white object a new color. You may switch back ' forth between TRASSPAREKT, USDERLAY and OPAQUt at any time.

ROTATE ("R" key)

The contents of the EDlT window are rotated 90 degrees counterclockn~ise each time the "R" key i s pressed. This ieclture lets you take a ~ i n g l e screen image and quickly reproduce it in several new relative positions.

This feature can cause problems when colored objects are rotated. Ll'hen you rotate colored objects 90 degrees, the screen color representation w ~ l l change due to the way colored pixels are displayed. The best results are obtained when solid, i ~ h i t e objects or simple l p e drawings are rotated. The complementary colors return when the image has rotated 180 degrees.

TEXT MODE ("X" key)

Beiore entering the TEXT mode from the EDlT mode. set the EDIT \vindow to one o i the three legal text sizes. The legal sizes are \'ill, \Y2 or W4. Sou may also select a TRANSPARENT or OPAQUE \\,indon. background prior to entering the TEXT mode.

After you select a text size, press the "X1'key to enter the TEXT mode. The border o i your screen wi l l turn CREES to indicate this mode.'The keys may now be used in normal tipewriter fashion. Leiters ma). be placed anvivhere on the screen by moving the TEXT windo\\* \\.ith the joystick. xiany -DIT mode commands can be used 11 hile in the TEXT mode by holding doivn the "START''. key hile you press the proper EDlT command keys. Hon~evvr, the most consistant results are obtained by returning to the EDlT mode to manipulate the screen, change sizes, etc. .Press the "ESC" key to exit the TEXT mode and' return to the EDlT mode.

The GRAPHIC MASTER TEXT mode uses the Atari standard character font. A custom character font may be created with another program (sbch as the GRAPHICS GENERATOR f rom DATASOFT) and loaded in and used by GRAPHIC MASTER. To load a custom font file, enter the I/O

mode and type I- the tont's 111enamc n ~ t h t h r c\tc3n>lon ".FNTU. The custo, Jnt \\.ill load ~ n t o an area ot memory set aside for this purpose \l1hen \ou return to the T E X T mode vou can altcrnate between tonts bv hold~ng do\\n the "START" k ry while you press the "A" key.

DRAW MODE ("D" key)

Press the "D" key while in the EDlT mode to enter the DRAW mode. This mode i s indicated by an ORANGE border around the screen. Press the "ESC" key to return to the EDlT mode. Many EDlT mode commands may be called upon ivhile in the DRAW mode to manipulate the screen.

LINES. CIRCLES and POLYGONS are easily drawn ivith special commands in this mode. Refer to the preLvous section on START UP AND STRUCTURE for a complete description of DRAW mode iunctions and features. At the end of this guide you will find some TIPS AND SECRETS \\hich include the use of the DRAW mode for obtaining unique results.

ZOOM - Color ("Z" + Up or Down Arrow)

This feature is used to enlarge or reduce the size o i an object within the EDlT wndow. The resulting image will be either twice the size or half the size of the original.

To enlarge an ;mage, press the "Z" key, then the "UF Arrow" key. (This command wi l l not work on an entire screer image). This has an effect similar to zooming in on an objeci with a camera lens. Because the maximum EDIT window size i! ten (the "0" key) the largest window you are allowed to zoom in on i s "5". Colors are maintained as the image is enlarged.

To reduce an image, press the "Z" key then the "Down Arrow" key. This will give the appearance o f "zooming" away from the object. You can "zoom out" f rom any window size except #l. The best results are obtained using even numbered window sizes (2, 4, 6, and 8). Color integrity wi l l be maintained as much as possible when zooming out, bu t remember that pixels are discarded when an object i s reduced and that these pixels cannot be reclaimed i f the image is're-enlarged.

This version of the Z O O M feature i s intended to provide the best possible results with colored objects. For enlarging or reducing text, line drawings or solid white objects, the iollowing, slightly modified version of this command is used.

Z O O M B&W ("Z" + "B" + Up or D o w n Arrow)

This command operates the same as the one described above. All pixels, however, are treated as black and white. I f this command is used on a colored object, the colors may become black and white, or the object may disappear

,ahogether. The purpose of this command i s to provide the best possible results when enlarging or reducing text, line draivings or solid i thite objects. You are encouraged to experiment with

e b o t h versions of the ZOOXI command.

THE FOLLOWING KEY COMMANDS ARE USED TO XIANIPULATE DATA IN THE EDIT \$'INDOW OR THE FULL SCREEN. HOLD DOWN THE CONTROL K E Y WHEN YOU GIVE A COMMAND TO AFFECT THE ENTIRE SCREEN (BUT KOT THE WINDOW). IF THE CONTROL KEY IS NOT PRESSED, ONLY THE CONTENTS OF THE \VINDOW ARE AFFECTED.

h4lRROR ("M" KEY'-

Press the "M" key to create a mirror image of the EDIT windotv contents. This feature i s especia'llv helpful In creat~ng

objects. Hold down the "CTRL" key and the "M" key to create a mirror image of the entire screen without affecting the contents of the EDlT window.

INVERSE VIDEO ("I" key)

Use this command to change.the contents of the EDlT window or the screen to their 'opposite colors. For example, when the "I" key i s pressed, all black areas in the EDIT window - turn white. Colored areas will change to their complementary counterparts.

old down the "CTRL" key and press the "I" key to INVERT the entire screen and leave the contents of the EDlT window unchanged. You may INVERT images from positive to negative without fear of permanent damage.

'This feature can be used in conjunction with the "UNDERLAY" command to paint in a black or white area with color. (See TIP $3 at the end of this guide).

. . ARROW KEYS (t 4 + -9 . .

The four arrow keys are used to "roll" the contents of the EDlT window in any direction. The image will move one pixel width at a time within the window border.

. . . . This feature automatically incorporates "same line wrap-

around" and "top tp bottom wrap-around" so that portions of @ your image are not lost. Hold down the "START" key to defeat

the wrap-around feature.

If you pick up unwanted portions of an image, hold down the "START" key while you press the proper arrow key to shift the unwanted portions out of the EDlT window. Release the "START" key and use the arrow keys to recenter the image.

The entire screen, (except for the EDlT window), can be shifted by holding down the "CTRL" key while you press one of the arrow keys. This feature i s handy for "fine" positioning an

object beneath the EDlT wndow beiore grabbir- it. Tht c'urrent offset number determines the number of 21s t h ~ screen will shift horizontally. The screen will.always shifi vertically'one line each time an arrow key i s pressed.

NOTE: To maintain correct colors when you shift a screen, you must shift i t in even numbered offsets. Odd screen shifts produce complementary colors. This can be used to your advantage when creating new colors or changing the colot of an object.

SKEW ("Q" + "1" -"9" + Left or Right Arrow)

Use this feature to slant an image within the EDIT window e t o the left or to the right. Press the "Q" key first to begin the

SKEW function. The number keys "1"-"9" are optional, and are used to indicate the amount of SKfW. Unlike other commands, the smaller numbers cause more SKEW, while the "9" key causes the least amount of SKEW. If you do not press a number key, GRAPHIC MASTER will assign a SKEW value of "3". Lastly, press one of the arrow keys, left or right, to indicate \vhich direction you wish to SKEW the object. Same-line wrap- around i s normal but may be defeated by holding down the "START" key while the image i s being skewed.

The contents of the entire screen can be SKEWED without affecting the image within the EDlT window by holding down the "CTRL" key and the "Q" key at the same time.

Using this command can cause some unusual results. 1Vatch the window or screen objects carefully. I t may take several seconds for the SKE1V command to execute on a full creen \2'e also recommend you remember the direction and

e a l u e you use when skewing an object. just in case you wish to return i t to its original shape. The SKEW command also tends to make a mess of image colors. The best results are obtained with white images. The title letters in the GRAPHIC MASTER logo were drawn with a white block and then skewed left and right prior to painting on their colors.

SPECIAL C O M M A N D FEATURES

SHIFT SCREEN ("SHIFT" + Left or Right Arrow)

This feature was included to correct differences in offset which may be present when you load. a picture created and saved with another graphics program. This feature will help compensate for any difference in the number of header bytes in a picture data file.

Hold down the "SHIFT" key whife you press the LEFT or RIGHT arrow keys to shift the entire screen one byte, (8 pixels), either left or right with NEXT-LINE WRAPAROUND. Use this feature with caution. I t can cause vertical shifts at the edges of your screen i f the "CTRL" + "Arrow" commands are later used to shift the screen contents while ed~tmg.

OVERLAY SCREENS ("START" + "CTRL" + "0")

This feature lets you OVERLAY the contents of one screen on to another. The contents of the "off" screen are iayed over the screen on display. The contents o f the "off" screen wil l remain unchanged.

PRINT ("START" + "P" key)

Hold down the TART" key whife you press the "P" key to dump a copy of the current screen display to a printer. The display will print sideways on the paper to provide the greatest speed and correct aspect ratio. This version of GRAPHIC MASTER will support an Epson M X - 7 0 or MX-80' with Craftrax " ROM's.

Q NOTE: In orde; to use the NECS 8023-A printer wi th CRAPHlC MASTER, you must first run a BASIC program o n the diskette called CHANCE.PRT. To run this program you must first "boot"a standard Atari Master diskette. Once y o u run the program, CRAPHlC MASTER wi l l always boot i n to the correct program for your printer. Run the program again i f you ever wish to change printers. Make sure your diskette i s not write-protected.

P~ctures are normally prrnted k i t justiiled on th age. A s&ond set of print commands are included create ,jecial

' effects on, the printed page. A complete description o i this sequence iollows.

TAB PRINT ("START" + "TAB" + "P" keys)

Each time you press the "TAB" key and the "START" key at the same trme, you add 8 spaces to the left margin of your paper nhen a screen 1s printed. This feature i s used to center your picture on the page or to print multiple pictures on a srngle page. With care, it IS possible to print a mosaic of four screens on a single page.

To center a picture horizontally on the page, hold down e;he "START" key and press the "TAB" key three times. Press

the "P" key to begin print~ng.

\ To lay down a series of pictures on a page, print the first

picture using the "START" + "P" command. Do not use a "TAB" comand so your picture wi l l print left-justified. Realign the paper in the printer back to the top of the page and print picture $2. Enter four "TABS" before you press the "P" key. This should place picture $2 immediately to the right of picture ;I. You can now lay down two more pictures side by side on the bottom half of the page to complete your four screen mosaic.

Pictures created by GRAPHIC MASTER may be printed out in full color on an Epson or NECs printer using Datasoft's COLOR PRINT program (available separately).

TIPS AND SECRETS

During our o\m experimentation n i th GRAPHIC MASTER, n e d~scovered combrnations of features which produce unlque results. These combinations and their results may not be obvious, so we'd lrke to share them with you here. With the numerous commands and possible combinations available, we are sure that many of you will find new things to do with GRAPHIC MASTER. Send us your tips and suggestions and we nil1 pass them along in future publications.

1. The INVERT command, ("I" key), has several special uses. To erase a line or dot while in the DRAW mode, INVERT the screen, ("CTRL" + "I"), and re-draw the line or dot. When you

t relh\ tt i i :nt! b c . .-n l tw Ilnt! or c;bl I > . ~ n c :'\~>c, ~ J - L ; I I , >

method to draw ; '3ck line on a white object. Inverting the

I window with the "I key helps you see the window borders

I . without dropping the object you are carrying.

2. Use this tip to draw a perfect white square. Start with the EDlT window and a black background. Use the ERASE command ("E" key) then the INVERT command ("I" key) to form a solid white block within the window. Now, hold down the "START" key and press the "Up Arrow" key 4 times, then the "Down Arrow" key 2 times. Still holding do\vn the "START" key, press the "Right Arrow" key 4 times, then the "Left Arrow" key 2 times. Now, INVERT the window again with the "I" key. Presto! 0 - 3. The INVERT SCREEN command can be combined with the UNDERLAY command to paint any odd shaped WHITE area a ne~v color.

To see how this works, load the PALERE file (provided), to one of the screens. FLIP to the alternate blank screen ("F" key), select a window size of four (W4) and enter the TEXT mode ("X"). Type the word "COLOR" in the center of the screen. Next, return to the EDIT mode ("ESC") and select a window size of one (W1). Flip to the other screen and "grab" a color from the pallet. Return to the screen and ISVERT it ("CTRL" + "I"). Press "I" to INVERT the color in the EDIT wtndow. Now press "U" to enter the UNDERLAY mode and use the joystick to paint in the now black letters. When you finish. re-INVERT the screen ("CTRL" + "I") and you shoilld have a colored word.

4. Special multi-colored characters may be layed doivn in the TEXT mode i f you select windoir size 2 or 4. Hold down the "START" key and press the "Z" key, then the "SPACE" bar. Your text i v i l l now be multi-colored. You must esit the TEXT mode with the "ESC" key and press the "X" key again to return to WHITE text.

5. Another way to move the EDlT window from screen #l to screen #2 i s to "Drive Across" screen boundries. Use the joystick to move the window off the bottom of screen #1 to the top of screen #2, or vice versa. When the EDlT window leaves the current screen, press the "SELECT" key to switch views.

7i1ere 1s a snlall butler area at the bottorn o i screen ;2 Ivhich allows the EDlT window to overlap the bour! v limits. This gives you more freedom in working with you, designs. Rather tnan TRAP this area and prevent tvindow entry, tve decided i t was more productive to let you make use of i t . The SHIFT commands will 'often eliminate any untvanteci tvindow contents.

6. To make the EDlT window invisible, use the ERASE command ("E" key) in combination with the TRANSPARENT command ("T" key) to fi l l the EDlT window with black and make i t transparent. Although the window cannot be seen, i t can still be moved around the screen. If vou lose the wndow,.

C press the "B" key to return the BORDER, or INVERT the window with the "I" key. Use the "SELECT" key to check the other screen i f these steps do not reveal the location of the EDIT window. 1

CONVERTING PICTURES FOR GRAPHlC MASTER

We have included a program on your CRA'PHlC MASTER* diskette called "PICDISK". This BASIC program lets vou'SAVE Srap5ics mode 8 pictures created by other programs for use with GRAPHIC MASTER or COLOR. PRINT (Also from Datasoit).

The "PICDISK" prosram can be RUN from most other BASIC graphics generating programs which provide a M o d e 8 yraphics screen display. To CHAIN this program, add a line t o the host program which checks to see i f the "STARTJ' key i s pressed. ,417 example of such a line might be:

100 IF PEEK(53279)zb THEN RUN-D:PICDI'SK"

This line musi contained within a running loop (such a5

the JOYSTICK rout~ne), so the "START" key will be checked continuously during the main program.

When the "PICDISK" program loads and RUNS, your screen picture should be preserved. "PICDISK" will

l ~ s t your I10 options in a text window at the bottom of your screen. To SAVE a picture, press the "5" key and enter the filename. The device designator (D:) and drive number may be omitted on single-drive systems. On two drive systems, you must enter the device designator and drive number as required by Atari DOS, (cg. DZ:filename), to save your picture to drive ~ 2 . The resulting picture file can now be LOADED with

e PLCDISK, GRAPHIC MASTER or COLOR PRINT.

NOTE: The PlCDlSK program will ONLY preserve the entire graphics screen i f you do not enter another Graphics Mode while chaining from your host program to PICDISK. Please use caution when modifying your host program to ensure that graphics mode criteria are maintained while IIO functions are accessed. DO h'OT use the "SYSTEM RESETS'or "L3REAK"keys. They will set graphics mode 0 and destroy the bottom section of your screen.

Since the PlCDlSK program also allotvs the LOADing of pictures to the screen, it can be used to d~splay pictures created with GRAPHIC MASTER or your other graphics programs, without the use of the GRAPHIC ,MASTER program diskette. Simply SAVE a copy of PlCDlSK on each of your d~skettes containing Mode 8 graphics pictures. Thereafter, place the picture diskette in drive 91 and enter the iollowing command irom BASIC:

You can also append the PlCDlSK program to your graphics program and CALL it as an added SUBROUTINE. To do this, line numbers and variable names in each program must be checked for duplication and changed i f necessary. When this process i s completed, LOAD the PICDISK program and LIST it back to disk. You can now load your host program into your computer and type:

- , nlhen BASlCcontrol returns, add the appropriatl- 'OSUB" line to your program to jump to the new SAVE s. LOAD L

routines in PICDISK. Don't forget to change the last line of PICDISK to "RETURN" if i t goes back into the main program routines or exits prematurely.

This ends the GRAPHIC MASTER instruction guide. Thank you for purchasing GRAPHIC MASTER, another fine computer program from Datasoft.

Datasoft, lnc. 19519 Business Center Drive Northridge, CA 91324 (21 3) 701 -51 61 .

GRAPHIC MASTER 1

SP.4CE OPTION SELECT START P + (3-9)

,31CK REFERENCE CARD

FUNCTION k BORDER frame i s returned to EDlT window. CIRCLE is drawn from DRAW modr. Ho ld OPTION key to f i l l . DRAW mode (orange border). Press ESC to return. DISPLAY a diskettc Directory f rom I/O mode. ERASE. EdlT w ~ n d o w turns black. FL;P the EDIT window to the alternarc page. ! GRAB a copy of the image under the EDlT window. INVERT the image i n the EDlT window. LOAD a picture or symbol f i le while in 1/0 mode. LINE. Pick starting and ending points for a l ine from DRAW mode. MIRROR the image i n the EDlT window. OPAQUE. Make contents o f EDlT window opaque to screen. SKEW or slant contents of EDIT window in direction o f arrow. ROTATE image in EDlT w indow 90 degrees. SAVE a screen image to diskette. TRANSPARENT. Makecontentsof EDlT window transparent to screen. UNDERLAY. Place EDlT w indow contents under backglound image. WINDOW. Select EDlT w indow size (1-0). .

TEXT mode (green border). Press ESC key to return. Z O O M (Color). Enlarge or shrink contents of EDIT window. Z O O M (B&\Y). Enlarge or shrink contents of EDlT window. OFFSET sets distance cursor or EDlT window moves across screen. Locate DRA\Y cursor o n screen. Enter I / O mode to Load or Save a picture. Change display from screen 1 t o screcn 2 and back again. Prevents same line wrap-around in shift and skew operations. POLYGON i s drawn at DRAW cursor position. (Size/P/= of sides). Direct following command t o affect entire screen and not the EDIT k indow. (Hold CTRL key & command key down a1 the same time. Roll thccontcntsof the EDIT window 1 pixel i n the tf ircct ion of arrow. Press CTRL at the same time t o rol l entirc section.) ALTERNATE between fonts while in Text mode. PRINT screcn image to printer.

.TAB over 8 spaces to printer. ERASE entirc screen. OI'E.RLAY the contents o f o n e screcn o n the other.

TIPS

Make EDlT window invisible. btakc EDlT window a whi le block. Skew, Rotate 8 Skew to rotate an image i n incrcmcnts lcss than 90 degrees.